Doris Italian Market opening in North Palm Beach

A Doris Italian Market & Bakery is slated to open next year in North Palm Beach, becoming the second Palm Beach County store for the family-owned grocery chain.

The store will open by mid-summer 2015 at 11239 U.S. Highway 1, within Shoppes at City Centre.

"We are a specialty market but feel we compete very well with the chain stores," said John Alfano, one of the Doris owners. "We have our own little niche."

Doris Italian Market started as a meat market, so fresh meat is the backbone of the Sunrise-based business, Alfano said. But its stores also sell produce, wine, cheese, seafood and prepared foods. Doris stores also have a bakery.

The upcoming 22,300-square-foot market is much smaller than typical grocery stores.

Doris Italian Market is opening in half the space previously occupied by a Winn-Dixie store. The Winn-Dixie closed during the economic downturn and the space was split in two. A West Marine store occupies the other side, according to CREC, the real estate firm that brokered the deal on behalf of the shopping center.

The family chain opened its first store in 1947 and the North Palm Beach shop will be the sixth for the company. Its other stores are in Boca Raton, Sunrise, Hollywood, Coral Springs and Pembroke Pines.

"Over the years a lot of our customers have moved from Broward to Palm," Alfano said. "We've had demands from old customers who have moved out of area. We felt it was the right time to expand."